The Obama administration is about to propose vehicle efficiency standards that will raise the average efficiency of our passenger cars and trucks to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. These standards will reduce our dependence on oil, cut carbon pollution, and save consumers money at the pump. Now the National Automobile Dealers Association is asking Congress to dismantle these clean-car standards.

The Production Tax Credit for wind and geothermal energy is slated to expire at the end of 2012. Failure to extend it would disrupt the steady growth and job creation of these fledgling industries. We need Congress to extend the credit this year so we can continue to substitute clean energy for dirty sources such as coal.

We asked and you showed up! More than 12,000 people gathered around the White House this past Sunday to call on President Obama to reject the proposed Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline. Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune spoke to the rally -- as did 350.org's Bill McKibben and many others. Learn more and see photos on our Scrapbook and Compass blogs.

Photo: Javier Sierra

National Monuments: A New Designation in Virginia

President Obama announced last week that he will designate a substantial portion of Fort Monroe as a national monument. Located in Hampton, Virginia, Fort Monroe played a pivotal role in emancipation, earning the name "Freedom's Fortress." The monument designation is expected to help create nearly 3,000 jobs. Fort Monroe is also home to beautiful live oaks, some hundreds of years old, and vibrant marine life. It lies along the Atlantic Coast flyway for migrating birds.